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Home / Network Tools / Redirect Checker

Redirect Checker

Trace the full HTTP redirect chain for any URL. Check 301, 302, 307, 308 redirects, view each hop's response headers, and discover the final destination. All processing happens locally in your browser.

Enter a full URL (with https://) to trace its redirect path. Due to browser security, some sites may not allow header inspection.
Redirect Chain (3 hops) External Redirect Absolute Redirect (2 hops) Relative Redirect (2 hops) GitHub

Redirect Chain Results

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Final Destination
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How to Use the Redirect Checker

1

Enter a URL

Paste or type the full URL (including https://) you want to check. You can also click any example link to quickly test common redirect scenarios.

2

Click Check Redirect

The tool sends HTTP requests with redirect following disabled, manually tracing each hop by reading the Location response header.

3

Review the Chain

See the full redirect path with status codes, response headers, and final destination. Each hop shows HTTP method, response time, and key headers.

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About the Redirect Checker

The FreeNestTools Redirect Checker is a free, privacy-first online tool for tracing HTTP redirect chains. Whether you are an SEO professional auditing redirect structures, a web developer debugging URL routing, a site owner verifying URL migrations, or a digital marketer tracking link paths, this tool provides instant, detailed redirect analysis.

Why Check Redirects?

  • SEO Impact — Long redirect chains dilute PageRank and slow down indexing. Each hop adds latency and reduces link equity transfer. Ensure critical URLs resolve in 1-2 hops.
  • Performance — Each redirect hop adds an additional HTTP round-trip. A chain of 5+ redirects can add several seconds of latency, especially on mobile connections.
  • Redirect Loops — Misconfigured redirects can create infinite loops, making pages completely inaccessible. Early detection prevents broken user experiences.
  • HTTPS Migration — Verify that all HTTP URLs properly 301-redirect to their HTTPS equivalents and that no mixed-content redirect chains exist.
  • Link Maintenance — Monitor affiliate links, outgoing integrations, and external resources for unexpected redirects or broken paths.

Redirect Status Codes Explained

  • 301 Moved Permanently — The resource has been permanently moved to a new URL. Search engines transfer ranking power to the new URL. Browsers cache this redirect.
  • 302 Found (Temporary Redirect) — The resource is temporarily located elsewhere. Search engines continue to index the original URL. No SEO value transfer.
  • 303 See Other — The response can be found at another URL using GET. Often used after form submissions (POST/redirect/GET pattern).
  • 307 Temporary Redirect — Like 302, but guarantees the HTTP method (POST stays POST). Used for temporary resource relocation.
  • 308 Permanent Redirect — Like 301, but guarantees the HTTP method (POST stays POST). The permanent alternative to 307.
  • Meta Refresh — Not an HTTP status code, but an HTML-based redirect using <meta http-equiv="refresh">. Slower than server-side redirects and not recommended for SEO.

Privacy & Accuracy

First confirm the website is online with the Website Status Checker. All redirect checks are performed entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript fetch() API with manual redirect following. No data is sent to any server, no logs are kept, and no cookies are used. Note that due to browser CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) policies, some websites may not allow reading response headers from client-side JavaScript. In those cases, the tool will show the final HTTP status and available information.

Frequently Asked Questions

A redirect checker sends an HTTP request to the URL with redirect: 'manual' option, which prevents the browser from automatically following redirects. It then reads the HTTP status code (301, 302, etc.) and the Location header from the response. If a redirect is found, it follows the Location URL manually, sending another request. This process repeats until a non-redirect response (200, 404, etc.) is received, building the complete chain of redirect hops from the original URL to the final destination.

A 301 redirect (Moved Permanently) tells browsers and search engines that the URL has permanently moved. Search engines transfer most of the original page's ranking power (link equity) to the new URL. A 302 redirect (Found/Temporary) tells browsers that the move is temporary — the original URL should still be used in the future. Search engines do not transfer ranking power for 302 redirects. For permanent URL changes, always use 301 redirects for best SEO results.

Common HTTP redirect codes: 301 (Moved Permanently), 302 (Found), 303 (See Other — forces GET method), 307 (Temporary Redirect — preserves method), 308 (Permanent Redirect — preserves method). Less common: 300 (Multiple Choices) and 304 (Not Modified — used for caching, not an actual redirect). Each status code has specific semantics that affect browser behavior and search engine interpretation.

A redirect chain occurs when URL A redirects to B, B redirects to C, and so on before reaching the final destination. Long chains (5+ hops) harm SEO because each hop dilutes PageRank transfer, increase page load time (each hop adds an HTTP round-trip), and may cause search engines to stop following the chain (Google typically stops after 5-10 hops). Best practice: ensure every URL redirects directly to its final destination in a single hop (A → Final, not A → B → C → Final).

A redirect loop happens when two or more URLs redirect to each other in a cycle (e.g., A → B → C → A). Common causes: conflicting URL redirect rules in .htaccess or nginx config, circular WordPress plugin redirects, mismatched www/non-www and HTTP/HTTPS redirect rules, or incorrect CMS configuration. Our Redirect Checker detects loops by tracking all visited URLs and halting immediately if a URL is revisited, showing you exactly where the cycle occurs along with all hops involved.

Browser security policies (CORS — Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) may prevent client-side JavaScript from reading HTTP response headers for cross-origin requests. When a website does not include CORS headers (like Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *), the browser blocks access to the response headers, including the Location header needed to trace redirects. In such cases, our tool shows the HTTP status code that was received but may not be able to follow the full redirect chain. Server-side redirect checkers do not have this limitation.

For optimal SEO, keep redirect chains to 1-3 hops maximum, with the ideal being a single hop (direct redirect). Google's John Mueller has stated that Google generally follows up to 10 redirect hops but may stop earlier. Each hop reduces the amount of PageRank transferred (approximately 10-15% dilution per hop). Additionally, each hop adds latency — 3 hops can add 1-3 seconds of additional load time. For critical pages (homepage, landing pages, product pages), ensure zero or one redirect hop.

Common fixes: Redirect loops — review your .htaccess, nginx.conf, or CMS redirect plugins for conflicting rules; ensure www vs non-www and HTTP vs HTTPS redirects are consistent. Long chains — update old redirect rules to point directly to the final URL. Broken redirects — ensure all target URLs (Location headers) are valid and resolve to 200 OK. Mixed content — ensure HTTP URLs redirect to HTTPS before any other redirects. Use this Redirect Checker to verify each fix by tracing the full chain.
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